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Drugs and Health Products

Applicant's Guide - Medical Use of Marihuana

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The following guide will help you complete your Application for Authorization to Possess Marihuana for Medical Purposes.

What do I need to complete?

What? Why? Who?
Form A provides all necessary background information to assess application applicant (requesting authorization)
Photos (2) two copies of current acceptable photos (eg. passport photo) medical practitioner signature on the back of the photos certifying that the photo accurately represents you
Form B1 applicant is included in category 1 (listed below) medical practitioner
Form B2 applicant NOT included in category 1 (listed below) medical practitioner
Form C personal cultivation applicant (requesting licence to cultivate)
Form D cultivation by a designated person applicant and designated person
Photos (2) two copies of current photos of that designated person your signature on the back of the photos certifying that the photo accurately represents him/her
Criminal Record Check statement certifying that your designated person has not been convicted with a designated drug offence within the last ten (10) years Canadian police agency by designated person
Form E1 HC supply of dried marihuana applicant
Form E2 HC supply of marihuana seed applicant
Form F cultivation site is not an ordinary place of residence or the designated persons ordinary residence applicant and property owner(s)

What does my medical practitioner need to complete?

Form B1 for applicants with the following medical reasons;
Medical Conditioln Symptom

Multiple Sclerosis;
Spinal Cord Injury; or
Spinal Cord Disease

Severe pain, persistent muscle spasms

Cancer; or
AIDS, HIV Infection

Severe pain, cachexia, anorexia, weight loss, severe nausea
Severe Arthritis Severe pain
Epilepsy Seizures
OR Applicants who suffer from a symptom treated within the context of providing compassionate end of life care

OR

Form B2, for applicants who suffer from symptoms of a medical condition other than those in Form B1.

  • An assessment of your case by a specialist is required, if your medical practitioner is not already a specialist.
NOTE: Your medical practitioner may ask you to fill out a "Release Form for Medical Practitioners" that was developed by the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA). This form is available on the Next link will take you to another Web site CMPA website. This is not a Health Canada form and completing the form is not a requirement to obtain an authorization to possess marihuana for medical purposes. Any questions relating to this form should be discussed with your physician.

"Authorization to Possess" means an Authorization to Possess dried marihuana for medical purposes.

"conventional treatment" means in respect of a symptom a medical or surgical treatment that is generally accepted by the Canadian medical community as a treatment for the symptom.

"designated drug offence" means:

  1. an offence against section 39, 44.2, 44.3, 48, 50.2 or 50.3 of the Food and Drugs Act, as those provisions read immediately before May 14, 1997;
  2. an offence against section 4,5,6,19.1 or 19.2 of the Narcotic Control Act, as those provisions read immediately before May 14, 1997;
  3. an offence under Part I of the Act, except subsection 4(1); or
  4. a conspiracy or an attempt to commit, being an accessory after the fact in relation to or any counselling in relation to or any counselling in relation to an offence referred to in any of paragraphs (a) to (c) (infraction désignée en matière de drogue)

"designated person" means the person designated to produce marihuana for the applicant.

"designated person production licence" is a licence that is held by an individual who has been designated to grow marihuana for an individual who has an Authorization to Possess marihuana for medical purposes.

"dried marihuana" means harvested marihuana that has been subjected to any drying process.

"licence to produce" means either a personal-use production licence or a designated person production licence.

"medical practitioner" means a person who is authorized under the laws of the province to practice medicine in that province. A medical practitioner for the purpose of completing this application is either a general practitioner (i.e. your regular doctor) or a specialist who specializes in the area of your medical condition (e.g. an Oncologist is a specialist in the area of cancer treatment).

"medical purpose" means the purpose of mitigating a person's Category 1 or 2 symptom identified in an application for an Authorization to Possess.

"personal use production licence" is a licence for producing marihuana for personal use for medical purposes that can be held by an individual who is authorized to possess marihuana for medical purposes.

"production area" means the place where the production of marihuana is conducted. This must be:

  1. entirely indoors, or
  2. entirely outdoors, or
  3. partly indoors and partly outdoors, but without any overlapping period between the two types of production (you may not produce marihuana both indoors and outdoors at the same time)

"representative" means any person who the applicant wishes to have assisting them, whether they have legal capacity to do so or not.

"specialist" means a medical practitioner who is recognized as a specialist by the medical licensing authority of the province in which the practitioner is authorized to practice medicine.

Send completed application kit to:

Marihuana Medical Access Division
Drug Strategy and Controlled Substances Programme
AL: 3503B
Ottawa ON K1A 1B9

For more information:

Phone: 1-866-337-7705
Website: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/mma
Fax: (613) 952-2196

This is not a legal document. Should there be any inconsistencies between this guide and the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations, the Regulations will take precedence. The Regulations are available to the public through the Canada Gazette.